i66 CENTURY OF ENGLISH FOX-HUNTING 



willing to accept a mount on the biggest rogue that 

 was ever foaled, in order that they may enjoy their 

 passion for seeing hounds. Thus the occupation of 

 the rough-rider has gone, or is limited to the men- 

 of-all-work, who act as grooms to horse dealers. 

 Again, it is not desirable that the hunting field should 

 be turned into a dealer's yard. In Dick Christian's 

 time it did not matter, for then very few men hunted 

 as compared with the present day. There was room 

 for everybody, and a rough-rider on a raw young 'un 

 did not interfere with his neighbours. What sort of 

 a reception would he get now at a popular fixture of 

 the Quorn ? 



The fact that Dick Christian has had no imitators 

 adds to the difficulty of writing about him, since he 

 had no rivals with whom we can compare him. It 

 is almost impossible to form an estimate of his 

 riding abilities. Thus such an authority as the late 

 O Duke of Beaufort has described him as a butcher 

 ^j V on a horse, while Squire Osbaldeston considered 



him the best man across Leicestershire. It is easy 

 to reconcile the two statements. It was Christian's 

 business to be in the first flight, and to be seen in 

 the first flight. To achieve this object he might 

 punish his horse, but there is no record that he 

 was ever cruel to a horse, so far as I have been 

 able to discover. Besides, it would be absurd to 

 think that a man who had the reputation of being 

 cruel to horses would have been asked to ride for 

 such men as Lord Forester, Lord Middleton, Lord 



V''^!' 



